This is the downside to living in a big city!!!

[AnnW]

Kids come home from school today, all freaked out cause some jerk tried to grab a girl in front of the middle school across the street from their elementary school! We got a notice home from the school about it, with a description of the guy and a request that we not allow our kids to walk or ride their bikes for the next two weeks (till school is out). Ds is particularly upset by this.

I hate this stuff...I hate being reminded what a cruel world this has turned into! I hate that my kids are now afraid to play outside. I hate that my kids have to even deal with stuff like this!

[angie r]

What is wrong with these people!! I hope they catch him quickly.

[KathyT]

How scary. Is the young girl ok? I also hate having to deal with stuff like this and alerting my dks to things they just shouldn't have to be concerned with yet. Hope they get him soon.

[AnnW]

Originally posted by KathyT
How scary. Is the young girl ok? I also hate having to deal with stuff like this and alerting my dks to things they just shouldn't have to be concerned with yet. Hope they get him soon.

They didn't really say.. I know she ran away.

[KarlaB]

How scary! I'm glad the little girl is okay. It's so sad that we even have to worry about stuff like this happening.

[Amy]

How scary! I hate living in that kind of "reality".

[JAK]

I don't think something like that has to do with living in a big city. It just has to do with the fact that there are a lot more wackos now than there were when we were young. It can happen anywhere at any time. Last school year towards the end of the year the same thing happened at Ft. Bragg, the Army base right by where we were stationed in North Carolina. A guy tried to grab 2 different girls outside of the middle school on Base. Both got away, but everyone was scared about it for quite some time.

I hope they catch the guy in your area and quick! I wish the world were as safe as it used to be!

[AnnW]

DD came in before dinner saying "mommy, I think I saw the man trying to grab a girl on our street"...well, I don't think she did cause her answers to the questions we asked just didn't make sense,(and she tends to exaggerate for attention) but dh went walking the street just in case. BUT, I hate that she might be telling the truth, I told her I was so glad that she came to me, but....grrrr! this just makes me crazy!!!

[darlene]

How scary!

I agree with Jen, it can happen anywhere. All over the news here in Canada is about a 5 yr old who went missing a short while ago (said she was going to the neighbour's house next door).....sadly they found her body a couple of days ago. Both where she was taken from and found are small centers compared to the big cities.

[kat]

How sad that your kids can't live near a neighborhood school and feel safe enough to walk. I loved walking to school when I was young. I didn't have a care in the world.

I went to see some of my students play T-ball tonight and when I got home dh was telling me that there was a young man living near the ball field who has been standing in his window nude and leaving measages at the ball field for the girls to look for him. Sick! It had been reported to the police, but don't know if anything has been done yet. One of the teachers I work with is on city council, I'm going to pick her brain about it tomorrow.

[Leigh]

I am so sorry that children are having to go through this stuff today. It is so sad when people have to pick on or take children to get a thrill. I hope things resume to normal at your house soon Ann. I can't imagine what your children must be going through. I hope they get the guy soon too.

[Diane]

I agree... it's really a shame that you can't send your kids off to school without having to worry about somebody trying to abduct them. I remember when I was little how much time I'd spend alone in the back woods playing in the fort my friends and I had built. I'd walk to the park or the store alone a lot to meet up with some of my friends... You certainly can't do THAT anymore! It's pretty bad when you can't even trust your kids to play outside in your own front yard. Somebody's always got to be watching out for them...

I hope they catch this creep real soon, Ann... it really scares you when you hear stories about abductions and later on finding the bodies of these poor innocent little children. It makes you wonder what on earth goes through these people's heads when their doing something like this. Let us know if you hear anything. :)

Diane... :wave:

[Leigh]

I used to have a fort in my front yard too. I remember I used to love playing in it with my cousins all the time. It is a shame that kids can't play in their yards like that anymore. They really miss out on so much fun.

[RCT]

how totally scary....living in country is scary too....I never let my kids out in our yard without being out there too....I can remember playing in our neighborhood for hours and never reporting home, cuz out street was safe, we never left the street, but still....it was a different time huh.....its really sad....

Hope they catch the guy AnnW....it really shakes your world when these thing get close to us......

[Diane]

Originally posted by Leigh
I used to have a fort in my front yard too. I remember I used to love playing in it with my cousins all the time. It is a shame that kids can't play in their yards like that anymore. They really miss out on so much fun.

I feel like my kids missed out on SO much of the same kind of fun that I had as a child. They never got to climb tree's or make tree houses... making forts or being able to run the neighborhood the way I use to be able to. We'd be gone for HOURS and my mom never had to worry about us. Kids have a "different" kind of fun now adays... but IMHO it doesn't even compare with all the fun we had. :) I wouldn't give those day's/memories up for anything... LOL :)

Diane... :wave:

[Ryleigh]

How scary!!:nervous:
It almost makes you want to lock your children inside with you so no wacko can harm them. But that wouldn't be good either. There is just too much of this lately. Hope they catch him before he does succeed.

[AnnW]

It was a hoax. The news has reported that police say that the little girl made it up. How sad that she felt she needed to do that.
Heck, pictures of our school have been all over the news all day (and it wasn't even in front of our school).
We all still need to be smart, but at least the kids might not be so scared.

[KarlaB]

Wow! How sad that she made it up, but good that you can rest a little easier. Did she give any reason as to why she made it up? :(

[KathyT]

Last year we had a big scare at our school, a little boy ran home telling his mom a woman in a blue minivan kept yelling at him to get in the van, she would take him home, etc. So his mom called the police and the principal and it was all over the news.

As it turned out, it was a neighbour who had gotten a new van who was trying to offer him a ride home on a rainy day!

It was a relief to everyone but how scary that we would all jump to such a horrible conclusion.

AnnW I am glad for you that it was a hoax, but sad for the girl. Weren't there any witnesses or were her friends in on it too?

[Diane]

I'm glad it wasn't true but... how sad that this little girl made up this story... I wonder why she did it. :( You can rest a little easier now knowing that their isn't some kind of a wierdo out there trying to kidnap kids. :)

Diane...

[Leigh]

What a sad situation that the little girl needed so much attention that she had to make up something that horrible. I am glad that everything is okay, but I hope that they help the little girl.

[RCT]

great that it wasn't really a crazy man out there, but I agree about the saddness I feel about this child making up stories....thats pretty scary in itself....

[Melody]

What a shame she felt she needed to make up such a story.

I still think that kids now miss out on a lot of fun that we had growing up. We were always in and out of the bushes making forts and teasing each other on ski paths that a bear is 'just over there, look'. Now I would have a fit if my kids were in the bushes. You just don't know what kind of creeps are in there. It seems that back then we were able to go to our friends house and not worry about being taken by anyone on the way there. Now they can't even go next door without it happening.
Here in Canada a little girl was taken when she was supposed to be going two doors down, she never got there. DNA testing proved it was her body they found a few days later. It's so sad that this happens and the streets just don't feel safe no matter if you live in the country or city.

[Ryleigh]

Originally posted by KathyT
Last year we had a big scare at our school, a little boy ran home telling his mom a woman in a blue minivan kept yelling at him to get in the van, she would take him home, etc. So his mom called the police and the principal and it was all over the news.

As it turned out, it was a neighbour who had gotten a new van who was trying to offer him a ride home on a rainy day!



Glad the boy knew what to do if it was a stranger. It's always better to be cautious now a days.

Its sad that this little girl felt she had to lie about something so serious. It's good to be aware at all times but is this happens too often people will start to let there guard down, and trouble could arise. Do you know how her family is dealling with the situation?